Amendment 31 gives students, parents choice

The superiority of Amendment 31, the English language education ballot initiative (which would allow immigrant children to master English at grade level in one year), to Colorado's current bilingual (Spanish-English) education programs, which purport to teach English in three years, is so obvious that even Gully Stanford, who chairs English Plus, declined in a debate with Ron Unz on Sept. 14 to defend the indefensible. Challenged by Unz, he said "I'm not here to defend bilingual education; I'm here to defend choice" (RockyMountainNews.com,Campaign 2002, "Got English?," Sept. 14).

Funny that Gully Stanford ignores the obvious fact that Amendment 31 gives Colorado voters a clear choice whether non- or limited-English speaking students should learn English in one year of intensive study, or be allowed to continue learning the language of their home countries (Spanish) while half-heartedly learning English in three years.

Amendment 31 gives Colorado voters a vital CHOICEwhether to continue the current senseless bilingual education programs, or replace them with sheltered English immersion programs in our public schools for non-English speaking children. The right choice is a no-brainer, a simple matter of common sense.